Mac OS X 10.3: Can‘t send or receive faxes without /var/spool/lock Folder

Mac OS X Panther can't send or receive faxes if a specific folder is missing.
When you try to send a fax, the status message for the Internal Modem says, "There was a software fax error".

The modem doesn't answer after the number of rings you specified in Print & Fax preferences.

Follow these steps to fix this:
  1. Click the Finder icon in the Dock.
  2. From the Go menu, choose Go to Folder.
  3. Type: /var/spool
  4. Click Go.
  5. Look for a folder named "lock". If you don't see it, follow the steps below. If you see this folder, troubleshoot for other conditions.
  6. From the Go menu, choose Utilities.
  7. Open Terminal.
  8. Type: cd /var/spool
  9. Press Return.
  10. Type: sudo mkdir lock
  11. Press Return.
  12. Enter your admin password when prompted.
  13. Quit Terminal when finished.


Published Date: Oct 11, 2016